The Waiver Wire: Gagner Returns

Dan Waldner covers hockey for RotoWire, and has been involved in fantasy hockey pools for 15 years. He's a lifetime Toronto Maple Leafs fan, a passion his wife puts up with and his daughter is starting to emulate.

Sam Gagner EDM - WATCH - Having just returned from a broken jaw he received in the preseason, Gagner is off to a rough start with a -4 in his first two games. Considering that these are the first regular season games he's played since last season, it's going to take some time to get back into game shape. Keep an eye on him - once he finds his game again, he should be pretty good, and will be an easy grab off the waivers in most leagues.

David Legwand NAS - SHORT TERM ADD - Having recorded 3G 2A +3 2PIM 2PPP in his last two games, it looks like Legwand is in the midst of a scoring streak. His game log this year shows this might not be a short one; he's been almost a point per game player, and his chemistry with Eric Nystrom and Patric Hornqvist has elevated the game of all three. If you've got a spot to add him, consider doing so, for at least the next week.

Brandon Pirri CHI - WATCH - Currently sitting second on the Chicago depth chart, Pirri has been receiving more and more ice time per game since he made his first appearance of the year. This probably won't continue for much longer, as Michal Handzus is expected to return in the next week or so, but anybody whose ice time increases as much as Pirri's has is due for some production boosts. Keep a watchful eye on him.

Wingers

Nathan Gerbe CAR - WATCH - One of our favorite scrappy players during his time in Buffalo, Gerbe has found a home in the top six in Carolina. Splitting time on the first line with Eric Staal and Alex Semin, and second line duty with Elias Lindhom and Tuomo Ruutu, Gerbe has had a good start to the year, registering 5P in his first six games. Since that start, his production has trailed off slightly but his time-on-ice has actually increased, indicating that this is just a mini-slump that is bound to correct itself in time. If he begins to spend more time on the top line, grab him. As Jiri Tlusty will attest to, whoever plays next to Semin and Staal ends up benefitting greatly.

Jason Chimera WAS - SHORT TERM ADD - Something has lit a fire under Chimera recently, and we're not exactly sure what it is. In the last five games, Chimera has registered 4G 5A +6 6PIM 1PPP, an impressive streak by anybody's measure. We are big fans of picking up a hot hand, even though Chimera's long-term attractiveness is low; his best season was only 39P. Grab him for the week and see how he does.

Alex Burrows VAN - TRADE AWAY - Under coach John Tortorella, the Vancouver triumvirate of Henrik Sedin-Daniel Sedin-Alex Burrows has been retooled and Burrows' role has been replaced by Ryan Kesler. While that powerful first line has rolled so far this season, their success has relegated Burrows to the second line with Chris Higgins and Mike Santorelli. While this continues - and it doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon - expect Burrows' performance to be lower than his career average. If you've got a Canuck fan in your pool, see if you can work a trade.

Defensemen

Christian Ehrhoff BUF - ADD - Even though he's playing on a terrible team, he's managed to be responsible defensively, registering a -1 over the first 16GP. That might not sound great, but Buffalo has allowed 23 more goals than they've scored - tied for worst in the league with Edmonton. That being said, Ehrhoff is a key trade target, and is expected to be moved shortly to a contender that needs defense. If you can grab him now, and wait until he gets moved, he'd be a great asset to have. If he ends up on a team like Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay or Toronto, he'd be fantastic.

Kimmo Timonen PHI - WATCH - Even though Philadelphia is currently in the midst of a pretty bad slump, Timonen has never scored less than 37 points in a full NHL season. Thirteen games into the season and he currently has no points. We expect this to change soon; a team with as much talent as the Flyers have can't be this bad for this long. When the Flyers start to pick up the pace, Timonen will be on the forefront of their recovery. Don't add him yet but keep him on your radar.

Keith Yandle PHO - ACQUIRE VIA TRADE - Perennially undervalued because of the team he plays on, Yandle is an exceptional defenseman that, if you can get him in a good-valued trade, would be a cornerstone on any team. Over 15GP this year, he has 1G 10A -4 7PPP 6PIM, which is a fantastic start for any defenseman. We don't see this production to diminish anytime soon - between Yandle and his teammate Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the Phoenix blue line is well developed and should find continued success all year.

Goalies

Ryan Miller BUF - ACQUIRE VIA TRADE - On a team with two wins in 16GP, one would expect the goaltender to have atrocious numbers, but in this case, Ryan Miller has done an admirable job, recording a higher-than-expected 3.03 GAA but a surprisingly good .919 SV%. This is indicative of a goalie that's getting shelled due to a weak team playing in front of him. Trade speculation has Miller being traded before the deadline to a contender, and we expect that when this happens, Miller's numbers will skyrocket. Since he's owned in just about every league, see if you can get him for a good value and hold on to him. He'll help in the stretch.

Ben Bishop TBL - ACQUIRE VIA TRADE - Having performed better than GM Steve Yzerman could have hoped, Bishop has gone 9-2-1 this year, with a 2.15 GAA/.925 SV% and provided Tampa Bay with quality goaltending it hasn't had since it won the Stanley Cup in 2004 with Nikolai Khabibulin. Bishop has only allowed more than two goals in two games this year - a fact that, if it continues, is sure to lead to success for a team that can score goals in bunches. If you can get him in a trade that doesn't cost you an arm and a leg, do so.

Richard Bachman EDM - WATCH - With Devan Dubnyk playing terribly, Bachman is likely to get more starts to try and steady the Edmonton goaltending situation - already worst in the league. If he can stay healthy, he may be able to scoop the starting job - he was pretty good as the backup in Dallas, recording 14-10-2 in two seasons. While we're not optimistic that Edmonton can turn it around this year, if they do, it'll be because of improved goaltending, which Bachman may be able to provide.

How did we do last week (as of end-of-day Saturday November 2)?
(When we judged our correctness, we looked at whether we were expecting performance or lack thereof.)